Braiding-machine.



No. 871,004. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907. F. THUN. BRAIDING MACHINE.APPLICATION FILED MAY 11. 1906.

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Ferdinand 7722112,

awmm-roz PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907'.

I. THUN. BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1906.

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Ferdinand Tfizm,

arts-141M113 PATEII'IIED NOV. 12, '1907.

F. THUN. ,BRA-IDING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 11, 1906.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Feramszzd T222121,

SIM-004M601 aflo'nnc-q FERDINAND THUN, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO TEXTILE. MACHINE WORKS, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BRAIDING-MACHIN'E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 10031.

Application filed May 11. 1906. Serial No. 816.287.

- To cllwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND Tenn, a citizen of th United States, and aresident of Wyomissing, in the county of Berks and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBraiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in braidingmachines wherebya product of varying form and compactness may becontinuously produced,particularly such as described in my pending application,

Ser. No. 258,037, filed April 29, 1905; for improved shoe lacing, i

The invention provides for securing a variable-speed take-off, and forproperly forming alternate tubular and flat braid portions in acontinuous product and with varying texture; and is fully described inconnection with the accompanyingdrawings, the novel features beingspecifically pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the main portion of a braiding machineembodying my improvements in preferred form; portions of the top andbottom plates being broken away to show more clearly certain of themechanism Fig. 2 is a corresponding elevation showing also the spreadermechanism and the take-off mechanism, omitted in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aseparate enlarged view of the lower portion of the take-off drive shaftwith its clutch mechanism; and Fig. 4 is a corresponding view, at rightangles to Fig. 3, showing the intermediate meshing shaft. Fig. 5 is adetail view of the spreader mechanism. Fig. 6 indicates a product of myimproved machine.

The race-way 2 in the upper plate 3, for thecarriers 4, forms anunbrokencircle adapted for producing tubular braid; a continuous intermeshingseries of drive gears 5 being located as usual between thetop plate 3and bottom plate 6. In order to change the product from tubular to fiatbraid when desired, I provide a pair of sidetrack terminal circles 7 and8, into which the carriers may be diverted by means of switches 9 and 10respectively; these side-track terminals being located as shown, so asto cut out two of the circles of the circular race-way; and beingprovided with drive gears having respectively one less and one morecarrier-engaging horns than the drive gears of the main circular series,so as to just equal the number of horns in the two of the latter thatare cut out. By this means a' perfect braid of either tubular or flatform may be made by simply reversing the switches.

The take-off mechanism comprises the usual series of rolls 15, 16, and17 with suitable drive gears 18, 19 and 20', the latter of which isdriven by a worm 76 on the vertical drive-shaft 21.. This shaft .insteadof being driven directly from the train of carrier gears at a fixedspeed, as usual, is driven indirectly at different speeds as desired, byan intermediate shaft 22, so as to vary the speed of the take-off; theobject being to this correspondingly vary the tightness of the fabric atdifferent portions. wheel 23 in mesh with the carrier gears, and withloose gears 24 and25 of different diameters, either one of which may becaused to rotate with the shaft by proper movement of an intermediateclutch 26, so as to rotate the take-off drive-shaft 21 atcorrespondingly different speed through the smaller gear 27 or thelarger gear 28 as the case may be. The clutch 26 is moved as shown by alever 30 pivoted at 31 and arranged to be positively swung in oppositedirections by tension rods 32 and 33, with a spring-latch 34 holding thesame in either positron.

The changing of the take-off speed is controlled as shown by cam wheels35 35 on shaft 36, to which rotary movement is imparted from the trainof carrier gears, through vertical worm shaft 37 and horizontal wormshaft 38, the latter arranged in mesh with the ,cam gear 39. The camwheels are thus rotated very slowly in connection with the braidingmechanism, the relative speed being such that a determined section ofbraid is produced for each rotation of the cam wheels; and the latterbeing adapted to operate the clutch 26 once in each direction for eachrotation so that such determined section of braid will be made at twodifferent speeds of take-off. The means through which the cam wheels areadapted to operate the clutch comprise pivoted levers 40 havingfingers41 held, in contact by springs 42 with the notched periphery of the Theshaft 22 is provided with a fixed gear' earn wheels so as to beperiodically vibrated by the The switches 9 and 10 for determining thecourses of the carriers as required respectively for fiat and tubularbraiding, are likewise operated by the levers 40, as indicated, so thatthe change of braiding and change of take-off are simultaneouslyeffected; this being accomplished by means of connecting rods 48 48extending from said levers to the switch spindles, as indicated.

To provide for symmetrically spreading the flat braiding, and it'sjunction with the tubular braiding, I preferably employ a spreadingdevice comprising a pair of fingers 50 pivotally mounted upon avertically movable rod 51 guided'in a hollow central column 52 of themachine; said fingers being projected upward through the braidingopening and ,simultaneously spread apart by raising said rod, andreversely acted upon by lowering the same, the spreading and closingtogether of the fingers being effected as shown by engaging the slottedfinger extensions 53 with fixed arms 54 on the column 52. The rod 51 israised or lowered as required to throw the spreading device into or outof action by means of a lever 55 connected by rods 56 tothe cam leversso as to be operated simultaneously with the switch and take-off clutchmechanisms.

In forming the braid product indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings thefiat end portions will be loosely braided with the'faster speed take-offand the spreader in operation, while the intermediate narrowed portionwill be more tightly braided with the slower speed take-off and thespreader lowered. The braiding of this intermediate portion mayevidently'be tightened also without changing suc h portion to tubularform if desired by merely locking the switches in position to uniformlydivert the carriers into the terminal sidetrack cricles:

The preferred mechanism specifically described may obviously be modifiedwithout departing from the invention.

What I claim is:-

1. A braiding machine having a take-01f mechanism and an operatingmechanism therefor comprising means for varying the speed of thetake-oft during different periods of the braiding operation.

2. In a braiding machine for forming alternately flat and tubular braidthe combination of a switch mechanism, a takeoff mechanism, and a switchoperating mechanism arranged to simultaneously change. the speed ofthe-take off mechanism.

3. In a braiding machine for forming alternately fiat and tubular braidthe combination of a switch mechanism, a take-off mechanism, a movablespreader-rod, and a switch operating mechanism arranged tosimultaneously operate said spreader rod and to change the speed of thetake-0E mechanism.

4: In a braiding machine for forming alternately flat and tubular braidthe combination of a switch mechanism, a movable spreadem-od and aswitch arranged to simultaneously operate said spreader-rod and switchmechanism.

5. In a braiding machine having a variable speed takeoff, an operatingmechanism therefor comprising avarlable speed drive-shaft, anintermediate shaft having different-sized gears engaging saiddrive-shaft, and a clutch mechanism comprising a rotary cam wheel andclutch operating lever substantially as set forth.

6. A braiding machine having a variable speed takeoif and an operatingmechanism therefor comprising a change-controlling cam wheel arranged ingear with the braiding mechanism substantially as set forth.

7. A braiding machine having a variable speed take-o'fl and an operatingmechanism therefor comprising a pair of relatively adjustablechangecontrolling cam wheels arranged in gear as set forth. v

8. In a braiding .machine for forming alternate flat and tubular braid,a spreader mechanism comprising a vertically movable spreader rod, aguide column therefor, and spreader fingers pivotally carried by saidrod and connected to said column so as to be operated by the" movementof the rod, substantially as set forth.

9. In' a braiding machine for forming alternate flat .and tubular braid,the combination of a take-01f mechanism, a switch mechanism,' a spreadermechanism, and means for simultaneously operating said switch andspreader mechanisms substantially as set fort 10. In a braiding machinefor forming alternate flat and tubular braid, the combination ofavariable-speed take-01f mechanism, a switch mechanism, a spreadermechanism, and means for simultaneously changing the speed of thetake-0E and operating said switch and v spreader mechanisms,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence' of twowitnesses.

' FERDINAND THUN. Witnesses':

D. M. STEWART, W. .G. STEWART.

operating mechanism.

with the braiding mechanism substantially

